Polish migration to the UK

Chapter two includes an overview of EU migration to the UK and migrants’ characteristics with the message that migration to the UK is not new. People have been migrating since forever; recently however, the issue of migration has been elevated to a key national concern in the UK and beyond. It is now one of the most contentious and divisive matters in contemporary Britain and globally. Meanwhile, the government continually fails to deliver on its promise to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands, but should it? This chapter presents and discusses most up-to-date existing statistical data in relation to EU migration to the UK and migrant characteristics. These are contrasted with new qualitative data from women migrants from Poland to the UK. This chapter provides an explanation of the current complexities related to EU nationals’ legal status in the UK. Finally, a series of interview extracts are presented to illustrate the abovementioned points.

Conclusion and policy implications

Finally, this ultimate chapter offers conclusions and policy implications that are relevant to EU migrant workers who are women within the context of Brexit. The book’s contribution to migration theory, economic migration, gendered migration and debates on Brexit from social policy perspective is offered here. This book offers important insights in relation to EU women migrants in light of Brexit. Policy recommendations with reference to British authorities but also the authorities of migrants’ sending countries are outlined. These are also relevant to the authorities of other EU member states, particularly the EU8 and EU2 countries. This research is relevant to a wider European context for several reasons. The potential break-up of the UK is one of them. Other European countries have also experienced deep divisions and consider holding a referendum about independence. In some EU countries anti-EU sentiment has increased and thus their future in the EU is uncertain and perhaps also depends on how the UK manages this transition. These divisions and increased hostility directed towards the European Union demonstrate that Europe is divided and many countries look inwards for protectionist measures hence nationalism is on the rise.

Precarious lives post Brexit vote

Chapter five considers precarity post Brexit vote and migrants’ future plans with the message that precarious legal status and a lack of guarantees are likely to affect EU migrants’ future plans. This chapter investigates the notion of ‘precarity’, particularly in relation to the paid labour market and the migrants within it. The fashioning of precarious workers is analysed and put against the backdrop of EU workforce. Precarity has been much discussed by politicians (Neilson and Rossiter 2008) and in the theorisation of neoliberal labour (Standing, 2011). This discussion provides a comparative perspective on how the socio-political, cultural, demographic and geographic context interlinks with individual migration experiences. I explore whether the process of migration always brings about some element of uncertainty and thus whether precarity and migration are synonyms. The chapter ends with discussion on precarity in contemporary world which is characterised by increased job insecurity which consequently heightens uncertainty about the future. Throughout this chapter I present extracts from interviews with migrants to the UK referring to their lives before 2016 and after as well as their plans and hopes for the future.

Brexit – the UK’s exit from the European Union1

The fourth chapter focuses on Brexit – the UK’s exit from the EU with key point being around disrupted livelihoods of EU migrant workers. First, the context of neopopulism is brought to the fore. Here, I explore the criminalisation of migrants and refer to the writings of Zygmunt Bauman (2016). Second, a brief history of the European Economic Community and the EU is provided. Third, the political complexity behind the decision to hold the referendum is explored. The wider context and political climate worldwide is analysed with particular focus on the rise of distrust, disillusion and identity politics. The context of the new populism as the prevalent ideology is put against the political situation in the UK with David Cameron starting talks on the need for the people to have their say in the run up to General Election 2015. The results of the referendum are analysed and critically discussed taking into account voters and their demographic characteristics correlated with the socio-economic situation in the country. The chapter culminates in a series of case studies with the aim to illustrate pre- and post-Brexit-vote reality for those who exercised their Treaty rights and came to work in the UK.

The British paid labour market1

Chapter three explores the British paid labour market and more specifically economic migration to the UK and its impact with the message that migrants contribute through taxation and alleviating labour and skills shortages. I discuss existing statistical data on UK’s labour force and its characteristics. This quantitative data is complemented with rich qualitative accounts from recent Polish women migrants to the UK. Different sectors of the economy are explored, in particular agriculture, hospitality, customer services and healthcare. These are said to be most reliant on workforce from the EU. Data on population characteristics is analysed taking into account the fact that it is ageing rapidly as is the rest of Europe. This increases the need for foreign-born labour to take on jobs unpopular with British workers, particularly when the EU labour force is younger and fitter in comparison to UK-born workers. This also suggests that after Brexit the UK is likely to experience issues with staff recruitment and labour shortages in certain areas of the economy. The chapter is supported by extracts from qualitative interviews with women migrants from Poland with the aim to bring in real-life stories from those who took advantage of the right to free movement.

Introduction and context

The first chapter is purely theoretical and aims to set the scene and to convey the message that migration is important in our globalised world and that it is doubtful that it can be stopped. This first chapter introduces the reader to the context and the themes under exploration. I refer to the context of neoliberalism and neopopulism in the UK and globally, within which Brexit is occurring. I define international migration and its scale. Migration motivations are explored with reference to global inequality as one of the reasons, perhaps the most important reason, that people become mobile. The process of migration as a gendered experience is considered and women as migrants are brought to the fore. The complexity of terminology is examined by looking at the following terms: im/migrant, refugee, mobile person. In this chapter, I provide details of primary research data collection, participant recruitment, sample characteristics and data analysis. An outline of remaining chapters is also included.